Ex-head of royal protection weighs in on Prince Harry row

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To mark Martin Luther King Jr Day on Monday (January 17), the Duke and Duchess of Sussex provided local “black-owned” food trucks to commemorate the date. The Martin Luther King Jr Center took to Twitter to praise Harry and Meghan for this help.

The centre wrote: “Thank you, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for providing local Black-owned food trucks for our #MLKDay service project volunteers.

“Your care matters so much to those here to register and educate voters and collect items for our homeless neighbors.”

This latest charitable gesture comes amid an ongoing row over police protection during their visit to the UK.

The Duke of Sussex is threatening to sue the Home Office over its refusal to give him security on his visits to the UK.

Harry insisted he offered to pay for the Scotland Yard protection officers himself, but the offer has been declined.

Sources from the Home Office said they did not recognise Harry’s characterisation of the disagreement over his security arrangements.

In a statement, an unnamed legal representative for Prince Harry said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK.

“In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”

The legal representative said the Duke “inherited a security risk at birth” and claimed he had “served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan”.

He added how Harry’s family has been subjected to “well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats” in recent years.

He continued: “He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer.

“As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them.

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“The goal for Prince Harry has been simple – to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country.

“During his last visit to the UK in July 2021 – to unveil a statue in honour of his late mother – his security was compromised due to the absence of police protection, whilst leaving a charity event.

“After another attempt at negotiations was also rejected, he sought a judicial review in September 2021 to challenge the decision-making behind the security procedures, in the hopes that this could be re-evaluated for the obvious and necessary protection required.”

Harry’s lawyers claimed the refusal to give him protection has been unreasonable, opaque and inconsistent.

They claimed the Duke faces a greater threat in the UK than the US and vital security information is not being shared with his private security team.

However, on Sunday, Government sources indicated ministers did not agree with the Duke’s characterisation of the disagreement over his security arrangements.

A spokesperson said: “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.

“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements. To do so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.

“It would also not be appropriate to comment on the detail of any legal proceedings.”

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